iOS Beginner looking to code and design

[Lookitsll]

Hi all,

I am interested in designing iPhone and iPad apps. I am a complete beginner and the only coding experience I really have is taking one freshman year programming course, as well as an AP Programming course.

I would like to begin learning from the beginning. What books can I begin to read? Where can do you guys suggest I Practice?

I have Xxode downloaded on my Mac and have basically no experience with it.

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

What would you like to make? The things I'd tell you to learn about to make a game would be very different from what I'd tell you to learn about to make a social network.

 

[1458279]

One of the problems with this question is that it's been asked many, many times before. It's been answered many times.

Another problem is that the way the question is asked makes it harder to answer. A general question about where to start or "I want to make an app" is very broad.

We don't know anything (or very little) about the project you have in mind or what background you have.

A good search would have yielded a bunch of results.

The failure to do the search indicates another problem. If you want to become an app developer, you'll have to gain skills in finding answers to problems. It's one of the more important skills to have. Most of us spend a great deal of time just finding answers to questions already asked.

I don't say this to insult, the world of app development is flooded with people that have an idea for the next viral app and jump in thinking they can "code an app". For years we've had people come in here and ask the same question. Most end up doing some research then give up after finding that it's more work than they are interested in doing.

Computer programming is a tough profession that has grown wildly. It takes years to become skilled and many fail.

Again, I don't know you and I'm not trying to insult, but a bit of study and searching would have revealed this. Study and research is key not only to gaining skills but in answering questions that have been asked before.

Asking vague questions makes it many times more difficult to give meaningful answers.

I'd suggest doing some research on what your specific goals are, then do some research on what it would take to do that. If you just looking for an app, you might be best of to hire someone to do the work for you. You should set specific goals about what you want to do. Do you really want to become a professional app developer or do you just want an app developed?

This is one of the many discussions found with a simple search:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1878904/

 

[lloyddean]

The failure to do the search indicates another problem.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1878904/

I'd reconsider this statement as I think talking to others is a fair first point of researching a topic. In this case the "others" may not be locally available and making this this type of post, in my opinion, can be just as valid as any other in the deciding a coarse of action.

 

[Lookitsll]

I am interested in coding apps like Instagram, Vine, Tinder, Snapchat, etc. Basically social media apps.

I am also interested in a bit of game design. Can anyone suggest any books or where to start?

 

[1458279]

I'd reconsider this statement as I think talking to others is a fair first point of researching a topic. In this case the "others" may not be locally available and making this this type of post, in my opinion, can be just as valid as any other in the deciding a coarse of action.

I'm not sure if my point was clear or not. The point I was trying to make is that programming by nature requires finding answers to many questions. One of the skill in finding answers is to search to see if the question has already been answered.

I'm not sure if "locally available" matters and qualification for "valid" wasn't the primary issue. Many have the habit of lurking, look at the views vs replies. They find a topic and read it if they have an interest. In the end, you have a higher quality of discussion vs a whole bunch of questions that have already been answered.

This is actually a control of SO (StackOverflow). It works very well for controlling the number of dupe questions. Most forums have a FAQ or something that covers some of the "where to start" questions, I thought we had one here but I seem to miss it now.

Again, I'm not trying to stop someone from learning, IMO, he would be well served to jump into a thread like the one I linked to, as the question has already been answered.

----------

I am interested in coding apps like Instagram, Vine, Tinder, Snapchat, etc. Basically social media apps.

I am also interested in a bit of game design. Can anyone suggest any books or where to start?

Ok, much better question. TY for reposting.

What you are looking at includes what's known as a backend server. http://www.raywenderlich.com/ has some tutorials related to this.

I like BNR (Big Nerd Ranch) for books.

I like Lynda.com for learning videos.

Sometimes YouTube has some good info, but the age of the video should be considered as iOS changes quickly.

A word of caution, someone posted an example where he did the same years ago and was hit with high server costs because of people pirating his app, using the server without paying. Server costs can vary, best to check for options.

Another option is to purchase a ready made template to learn from and maybe modify for use.

 

[bjet767]

Here's what I found about the best programmers, they aren't dreaming about money.

If you want to program the best way to learn is to come up with an idea and start a project around it. A computer is just a device and it is up to the developers, at all levels, to come up with a purpose for it.

So dream and then start a project to accomplish that dream. If you want to develop social apps then look at what you do and see if a computer can fill in some hole or need for communication. Remember social apps are basically a means of communication.

Here's an idea; many games are about skill and social interaction at the same time. Maybe you could improve or develop something which improves both?

Needs for social apps:

You need to understand how the device communicates with the internet.
What sort of resources do you need? Location, maps, media or more?
Can you make a simple interface between the users?


Start asking questions about you idea and then get going on the coding end of it. Most books just give you basics to get you started and it will be up to you to code them into your idea.

 

[grandM]

I am interested in coding apps like Instagram, Vine, Tinder, Snapchat, etc. Basically social media apps.

I am also interested in a bit of game design. Can anyone suggest any books or where to start?

The video course of bitfountain contains making a tinder, instagram, Facebook integration etc

 

[AndyK]

I'd reconsider this statement as I think talking to others is a fair first point of researching a topic. In this case the "others" may not be locally available and making this this type of post, in my opinion, can be just as valid as any other in the deciding a coarse of action.

Lesson #1 for being a programmer: Learn to optimise your ability to search for answers, you're going to be doing it a lot. When asking questions, make them concise and provide as much information, because when you come to ask a question about why your code won't work & you're equally as vague, you'll get no help (and the folks on Stack Overflow are a lot harsher than here by 10 fold).

To answer the original question, it's pretty tough; "I want to make an app" and "I did a programming course once" is so broad it's almost impossible to give a relevant answer. To make iOS apps you need to be able to use Swift / Objective-C depending what it needs to actually do. You need to be able to make use of Xcode effectively along with a myriad of third party and open source frameworks. You eventually need devices to test on & have a developer account with Apple to be able to test on said devices and then submit to the store.

Your best bet is to go and find yourself a learning environment to learn the language and look at the basics of various technics (SpriteKit, WebKit, CoreData, AutoLayout to name a few). Somewhere like Treehouse is a decent start if you prefer video courses. BigNerdRanch make great books, but their Swift orientated ones won't be out for a few months yet.

One thing I can offer you immediately is invest in Dash, it's fantastic.

 

[TDPHunter]

Somewhere like Treehouse is a decent start if you prefer video courses.

Start with Treehouse. It is cheap and is a great introduction to the world of programming. I would take the digital literacy courses and pick the Swift or Objective-C Tracks. This will give you an idea whether or not this profession is for you. You will get burned out. It happens. I would suggest joining a meetup.com group where you can start networking with people and find a mentor that is willing to take you under their wing.

StackOverflow is also a great resource. Find a project and stick with it until completion. If you get stuck, seek help and advice. This is how you will learn.